In reply to an article by Stephen Burgen

* "EXACTLY a year ago an opinion poll carried out by the Catalan government showed 60 per cent in favour of independence". No sample has EVER shown such high level of support (and quite honestly, little or no credence should be given to any polls until after the next election!).

To read the rest of this letter, please click below, on "Més informació"

* "Whatever the result, the September election won't resolve anything". That needs substantiating, as the Catalan government is forging ahead with its independence plans (with support from leading oppostion party ERC) if the September 27 election - the only way of showing the world a majority wants independence from Spain - does indeed reveal that majority.

* "...after two years in which anyone who voiced their dissent risked being branded a traitor" is a loaded affirmation if ever there was one! This is a myth to hide a more sinister truth: the attacks (both verbal and digital) on the independence movement have been (and will continue to be) dirty and below the belt, and many so-called "dissenters" have been extremely aggressive in their views. They receive no comment by Mr. Burgen. On the verbal front, Professor de Carreras, whom you quote, has for years been extravagant in his use of adjectives; and he is surpassed by many, including a theatre director who has shown his backside through a hole in the independence flag. No wonder, then, that some fall for the provocation.

* "In the wake of the referendum..."! There was no referendum, the Spanish government refuses to let Catalans say what they want. And Spain has lain criminal charges against the Catalan PM for not stopping the poll that was held on November 9th. Unheard of in western Europe, yet it deserves no comment by Mr. Burgen.

* "Why has secessionist soufflé, which has been rising since 2012, suddenly began to subside?" I challenge this. I know of not a single person who has ceased to believe independence is the way ahead, all the more so because the Spanish government has not ceased for a moment to scrape away at Catalonia's home rule: reducing our Ombudsman's powers, recentralising local goverment, commerce, immigration, education, telecommunications, preventing the Catalan goverment from raising new taxes or helping families that can't pay their energy bill, ... while it heartlessly financially throttles Catalonia (and callously continues to build costly high speed railway lines to the middle of nowhere). Not even "Societat Civil Catalana" (which cannot boast three one million-strong peaceful demonstrations to support its Unionist ideology, in contrast to the ANC's track record) or the newly-founded Unionist "Empresaris de Catalunya".

*No-one will criticise you for taking part in book launches written by Unionists and filmed by Unionists, sharing the floor with Unionists. Nevertheless, a more balanced view of what is going on in Catalonia would, I'm sure, be greatly appreciated by your readers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-8C_DawXBs

09/03/2015 10:43 PM GST
MargaBBB

Fading? Only in your dreams, Mr Burgen.
'Catalonia: Independence bid in danger of sinking', I quote from an article by the same author in 2013 in this paper. Perhaps Mr Burgen has an agenda?
Writing from Catalonia can only say that the politicians as usual have proved to have hollow legs, and after a well earned rest the indies are toying with founding a citizens' party to take over the struggle. You heard it here first.

08/03/2015 12:31 PM GST
sandystewart

I know the Pict will be cringing at this report but I just wish the Scots would show the same good sense as the Catalans.